new this morning on msnbc saturday, it is almost over. bp's ruptured oil well could be sealed for good today. morning mass. thousands of the faithful come out to see the pope during his historic visit to new york. we are live there. failed drug test. lindsay lohan faces the possibility of going back to jail. and distracted driver. see the guy catching up on reading while driving on the interstate with a bus packed with passengers. can you believe that?

i'm alex witt. welcome to msnbc saturday. bp says crews are now pumping cement to permanently seal the blownout well at the bottom of the gulf of mexico. it spilled 256 million gallons of oil into the ocean killing 11 workers. kristen dahlgren is live in venice, louisiana, with a good saturday morning to you. when are the crews expected to be finished with the permanent seal so it is a done deal? >> reporter: hey, good morning, alex. well, it is likely based on the timeline we have been given, at this point they would be waiting for it to cure, but bp has said it does expect later today to make the announcement that the well is permanently killed meaning it will never leak oil into the gulf of mexico again. we are talking about that relief well that they started drilling shortly after the disaster began. they drilled down about 2 1/2 miles beneath the floor of the

gulf and intersected the well that had been leaking and they michigan to pump in the cement. that's the final bottom kill. after they permanent he seal this well, it is important to note there's a long recovery ahead for people in the area. i don't if you can hear it, but we have boats started up. crews are headed out on the water now to continue to look for oil. here in louisiana they were able to collect more than 25,000 gallons of oil just this past week here. so oil continuing to wash ashore. so still a long cleanup. bp has committed to being here through the cleanup, but what the company has not said, and this is a lot of the questions being asked here, they said they would not ban drilling into the reservoir through another well, alex. >> some of the big concern was about the hit that happened throughout the summer in terms of the fishing industry, all the restrictions, the tourism there,

has anything changed since the oil leak was at least capped back in july? >> you know, they have opened up a tremendous area of the gulf to fishing once again. so we do see those fishermen headed out on a daily basis, but still a difficult time. these are fishing lodges in the area, and they are not seeing the business come back yet. the way they are now making their living is through the cleanup process, but they are worried now that the well is sealed and the cleanup sort of wraps up, that they are going to be in dire straits because it could take time before people decide to fish here and come to vacation here. they say their economy is in danger as they move forward here. >> kristen dahlgren, thank you for the latest from venice. hurricane karl is blamed for the death of two people after slamming into mexico's gulf coast. the storm caused widespread damage including power outages. karl is now a tropical depression. hurricane igor gained strength

out in the atlantic. let's go to bill karins for the latest. good morning, bill. good saturday morning to you, alec. it is about igor and how the effects of bermuda will play out this weekend. that's where the storm is going to head sunday night. first of all, here's the storm. it is a huge storm. not as intense as it once was, but this storm is very large in size. it is texas big. it is bringing wind and waves to bermuda during the day today, although it won't hit tomorrow night. the area in orange is the tropical storm wind field. it is huge. the large waves are going to make their way to bermuda, and some large swells will be on the east coast of the united states as well. rip currents are high from florida through new england saturday and sunday. so let's take a look at the forecast from the national hurricane center. it has it going to a major hurricane. a category 3 during the day tomorrow as it approaches bermuda. lit probably be a category 3 or 2 hurricane, that's enough to do

significant damage. our computer models are in excellent agreement. it has been this way for four or five days. the target is bermuda. it will go ore the top of the island. you can see where the island is in the middle, and all the lines show you the path of the storm, the center of it. the worst for bermuda would be if it was in the right front quadrant, the strongest side of the storm. karl is pretty much gone and done. it did take two lives and made landfall ten miles north of vera cruz. thank goodness that the tropics are quiet after igor. we see one more wave coming off the coast of africa, and we'll see that in a week. all eyes on bermuda this weekend. it is a growing question for the republican party. does the rising tide of

conservative activists provide opportunities or a potential threat? fault lines on display in iowa as sarah palin issued a warning to the establishment. >> we can't blow it, gop, but we won't wait for that political playbook to be handed us from on high from the elite. it may take some renegades going rogue to get us there. it may take folks shaking us up, shaking it up to get there. >> so will the emerging split help democrats this fall? we'll bring in christina belatony. good morning to you, christina. >> good morning, alex. >> what do you make of all that? the republicans are facing a real challenge from the conservative base? >> sure, that has definitely happened. you have seen that play out all summer long. of course, democrats like any split. democrats have plenty of their own splits, but sarah palin is a unique figure in this because she's endorsed very mainstream

candidates from senator john mccain against a tea party favorite conservative candidate in j.d. hayworth. then kelly who won in new hampshire. she was the preferred choice there, but the going rogue candidate christina o'donnell has rosen onto the national stage, she's very conservative and democrats think they have a real chance to keep this seat in delaware now because she's far more conservative than the establishment moderate candidate who lost. >> okay. primaries are one thing, conservative voters are enthusiastic ahead of the midterms, be new a presidential election it all comes down to the independent vote. that's where it comes down to. what does it say about the prospects of a tea party candidate in 2012? >> all the primaries this year are shaking things up. far, far away a lot of the candidates like mitt romney who have been quietly laying the

groundwork with more traditional visits to iowa and new hampshire and south carolina over the last year and are going to continue to do that. it is hard for them to get as much attention as sarah palin. this was the most attendance for the dinner in iowa she was at than they have ever had. she tracks a lot of attention from the left and right and can raise money. that will make her a phenom similar to barack obama in 2008. >> okay. in terms of phenom, define that. do you mean phenom in terms of influence or someone to make a legitimate bid for the presidency in 2012? >> i don't know what she's going to do, but if you are her advisers and are looking at the impact she's had in primaries, in raising money, in getting media attention, you have to strongly consider it because it is the way to continue to raise money and to continue to press your issues on the national stage. it is hard to know what she wants, but she's going to demand the attention in the way that candidates who have been out there and are very well-known before can't get that kind of

attention or she sucks all the oxygen out of the room and takes the majority of the attention. >> all good points. christina, thank you so much. >> thank you. with 45 days until the midterm elections, how are democrats tackling the political landscape? we'll get insight from chris matthews coming up later this hour. from there now to afghanistan where the polls are open for the apartmentry elections despite taliban violence killing at least ten people. insurgents used scattered rocket attacks on kabul to keep at least a couple stations from opening up. some 2500 candidates are vying for 249 parliamentary seats. these are the first afghan-run parliamentary elections since the fall of the taliban. well, the koran burning that wasn't is producing a new outrage today, even though pastor terry jones refused to burn the koran on the anniversary of 9/11. the extra security they supplied last weekend will cost more than

$200,000. they expect the outreach center to foot the bill for the 200 on-duty sheriffs and deputies called to the church, but the gainesville city manager doesn't know if the city has the legal authority to make the church pay. in the meantime, a newspaper is reporting terry jones said he may move his church to tampa so he and his flock can make a fresh start. lindsay lohan is facing a possible return to jail. the actress confirmed on her twitter page she indeed failed a court-ordered drug and alcohol test. she also tweeted she's ready to face the consequences. the actor finished jail and rehab three weeks ago for a probation violation. no word on the a new hearing will be held regarding the latest drug test result. the pope is on tour despite a london for roar threat. we'll take you live to london.

and octo-mom is out of cash. find out where the mother of 14 is looking for help now that she's broke. msnbc saturday is back after this. ♪ [ male announcer ] we touch a lot of things throughout the day. so it's nice that clorox disinfecting products help kill the germs that can live on surfaces for up to 48 hours. ♪ feels sweet when i can touch you ♪ on surfaces for up to 48 hours. host: could switching to geico did the little piggy cry wee wee wee all the way home?

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right now it is anybody's game. a wild wide field of those in the gop race. many are taking place in the value voters summit in washington. the results of a straw poll today will stack up the competition while sarah palin sets her sights on iowa. chris matthews, we have our sights on you this morning. good morning. >> good morning. >> you are watching political leaders day in and day out. does sarah palin have an early

edge? >> i think she is dynamite. she does the windshield wiper wave and turns on the crowd. she has the great voice you can't ignore. at this time of year, which is basically a protest season, she's the best protester there is. and i think wherever she goes she spreads the magic. joe miller, no one ever heard of her, now he's the senator from alaska. now christine o'donnell, it doesn't work everywhere, but you go to a rural area where people aren't happy with the economy, i think sarah palin is the king. >> but is she is king, chris, as a political firecracker, an start, someone who generates things, or is she the king as a candidate? >> well, we'll see. if this economy stays where it is, knowing what i know, it is terrible for people out there. middle-aged people thrown out of work. people that worked their whole lives out of work. people laid off. they are not in the mood for thinking through different

alternatives. they are in the mood for protest. as long as the mood continues, i think the best protest candidate out there is sarah palin. she's attractive, people like to look at her and listen to her, but her message is protest. she's not a government person. you can't imagine her as secretary of defense or secretary of state or attorney general. but people can imagine her as a protest leader. and i think jimmy carter was seen that way. in a certain mood at a certain time, a protest candidate can win, yeah. >> let's get to the rise of the tea party overall, the political calculus is changing for the republicans as a party. we'll take a listen to mitt romney yesterday. take a listen. >> if only he had, in fact, been transparent and bipartisan and uniting as he pledged in his campaign. then perhaps he could have delivered in his promise of yes we can. instead, we know all too well that no, he didn't.

>> do you think that republican leaders are being forced into taking on more of the tea party principles? >> right. he's trying to be sarah palin. and he comes off as dr. bob arnot. he doesn't work as a palinite. he's trying to hard to learn the words. pawlenty is trying the same thing. these guys are trying to be what they are not. establishment candidates with very impressive families, they do everything right. that's not what it is about right now. think of coming in this morning, alec, in the 1960s when al pacino and dustin hoffman protest. they are actors from the 1950s, we don't want heroes like that right now. we want protest candidates, we want anti-heroes like christine o'donnell. and in a way, the less you know

the better. you don't need to know anything to be a protest candidate. you only need a two-letter word, no. if you are good at that, you are good at elections. the words no, just say no. go into the voting booth and vote no. and that's what people want to do. that's why the democrats are in terrible trouble because they are the government party and they are going to take it hard. >> but with all the republicans out there, if it stays all about the economy, stupid, does that mean mitt romney, with his message for the majority was about the economy, is he the viable candidate to be looking at? >> again, it is not about who drives the car, it is who sits in the backseat and can yell the loudest. that's what it is about. sitting in the backseat and yelling, i'm hungry, i'm tired, when are we going to get there? it is about protest. it is about being young, not a grownup.

it is not about who drives the car or the course. it is about who sits in the backseat and yells the loudest. that's what palin is doing so effectively. when the voters go to the voting booth, they want to say loud and clear they are angry, they don't like the way things are going. they are indignant. i watch people like christine o'donnell. she's so effective at that. i imagine joe miller is just as good in alaska. all around the country these folks are basically replacing rush limbaugh. they are replacing the radio talk shows as protesters. and they are good at it, i think. alex, i think we keep talking about the sophistication of alternatives and whether you want a more conservative or liberal government. it is more conservative right now, but i don't think it is about alternatives yet. by 2012 when we get into the debates it will be about alternatives at some point, duh during theseason i see her winning iowa. she's the christian conservative running against the guys. they will gang up on her and

she'll be tough to beat. south carolina, she's almost impossible to beat in the baptist country. back up to michigan, now it is time to take on the mother ship. mitt romney, she's been running her campaign out of michigan from the day she started her book tour. that was the state overlooked by republicans last time. she is already, i think, got it figured out. iowa, do okay in new hampshire, win big in south carolina, go back and knock them off in michigan and win the republican nomination for president. and at that point the public begins to look at the alternatives between her and the president and deciding who is the most fit to be president. at that point she's in the minority situation, i think, but it will still be close, 50/50. i think she's running for president. i'm looking at her in iowa again last night. i don't know what else she could be doing. >> okay. all i know is what i have to do now, is to wrap this. do you have a producer in your ear going, stop, go!

ever watch requested "hardball"? thank you, chris matthews. catch chris on "hardball" weeknights at 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. here on msnbc. and the woman who threw acid on her face is saying she did it herself. and lindsay lohan could be heading back to jail. you are watching msnbc saturday. ] only rogaine is proven to regrow hair in 85% of guys. no more hats. [ male announcer ] stop losing. start gaining.

no more hats. words alone aren't enough. my job is to listen to the needs and frustrations of the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel or restaurant workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. our job is to listen and find ways to help. that means working with communities. restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund

to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. and our efforts aren't coming at tax-payer expense. i know people are wondering-- now that the well is capped, is bp gonna meet its commitments? i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right. introducing total plus omega-3 honey almond flax cereal. all the nutrition of total, plus 10% daily value omega-3 ala, and a delicious honey almond crunch. new total plus omega-3. ♪ [ mom ] game time is all about the traditions. it's all about the tackles and the touchdowns... and watching my boys do what they do. but for me, it's even more than that. game time is about our time. together.

[ female announcer ] get low prices on all your favorites for the game. save money. live better. walmart. [ male announcer ] we asked zyrtec® users what they love about their allergy relief, and what it lets them do. the thing i love most about zyrtec® is that it allows me to be outside. [ male announcer ] we bet you'll love zyrtec®, too -- or it's free. [ vonetta ] it is countdown to marshmallow time. [ woman laughs ] pope benedict is apologizing for sexual abuse to children by priests today. the apology came during a mass at the london cathedral and follows the arrest of six people in an alleged terror plot against the pontiff. and nina, good day to you. what has the reception been to the pope's apology? >> reporter: good day to you. a lot of people were expecting the pope to make some public statement, let me read you

exactly what he said during the mass this morning. he said he apologized because the unspeakable crimes committed by catholic priests to sexually abused children. that's the strongest public apology we have seen from the pontiff two days ago when he was onboard the plane traveling to the united kingdom. he did make a statement to journalists that also went some way to apologizing for what has happened before. i was speaking to a woman outside westminster cathedral earlier today who said she was expecting some kind of statement like this. she said eventually the pontiff will have to acknowledge it. he will publicly apologize and say it will not change the faith. >> thank you. meantime, sobering new numbers showing poverty in america has hit a 15-year high. nearly 44 million americans

lived in poverty last year, and the numbers could worsen as the unemployment benefits come to an end for millions. vera gibsons is here with the latest. the poverty rate hit a 1546, 15-year high. you mentioned 44 americans living in poverty, that's one in seven. the thresholds would be 22,000 for a family of four, $11,000 for a single person. not good. that puts into question with the programs. have all the money been thrown into the programs and they are not working effectively? it also puts into focus lack of job creation. not enough emphasis and focus on job growth. a lot of individuals are without health insurance. 50 million americans without health insurance. they are relying on food stamps and food banks. as you point out in the intro, the situation could get worse with unemployment hovering near

10% right now. very sobering statistics. >> with consumer sentiment at such a low, when is the recovery going to feel like a recovery? >> right. right now it doesn't feel like a recovery to a lot of individuals. it feels like we are in the throws of a recession here. i think it will really start to feel like a recovery when confidence comes back. people are not confident because their bills are going up, everything from education to health care. they don't have the money to pay the bills, so confidence is down. i think the people will feel more like a recovery when you look around and see your friends, for example, your neighbors are getting jobs or getting job leads. when the stock market shows a more consistent return to the up side, you'll also see a sense of recovery when the housing prices are going up. they are still down in a lot of areas. we have a long way in front of us. >> wow, what a laundry list. we'll get more from you later. thank you. a city bus driver in portland, oregon, is on

administrative leave as officials investigate cell phone video appearing to show him reading and e-book while driving. are you kidding me? the alleged incident occurred on the busy interstate 5 with a bus full of passengers. a passenger decided to use his own cell phone to catch the driver reading while driving. ♪ [ female announcer ] good friends never run out of things to talk about... and during endless shrimp at red lobster, you can keep the conversation going over endless servings of your favorite shrimp. from classics like garlic shrimp scampi and decadent shrimp pasta... to new creations, like crunchy parmesan shrimp.

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it is msnbc saturday. i'm alex witt at half past the hour. here are your top headlines. crews in the gulf of mexico are pumping cement into the blownout oil well and bp expects it to be completely sealed some time today. afghanistan is holding parliamentary elections today amid taliban violence that killed at least two people. hurricane igor strengthened to a category 2 storm and is on course for a run-in with bermuda.

lisa murkowski says she's run as a write-in candidate. she lost to tea party candidate last month. lindsay lohan failed a drug test in violence of her probation. she could now wind up back in jail. those are your fast five headlines. almost five months after the explosion that led to the largest oil spill in u.s. history, bp plans to seal the well for good today in the gulf of mexico. our correspondent ann thompson has the latest. >> reporter: good morning, alex. i'm in louisiana where later this morning i'll be headed out to the development driller 3, that's the rig that has drilled the relief well to intercept the wakonda well earlier this week. they also pumped cement into the bottom of that well. and later this morning bp is expected to declare that the well is dead once and for all. this is a big milestone for bp

and for the federal government, but for the people here along the coast of the gulf of mexico it is not that big of an event in part because oil has not flowed into the gulf since july 15th. what they are more focused on now is one, the claims process. ken feinberg promised that people would get their money within several days of filing, and that hasn't happened and people are angry. they are also concerned about the fact that much of the deep sea fishing here is still off limits because of the oil spill. and for charter boat captains, in particular, they want to know when those waters are going to open up again. and for the shrimpers here, they are seen the price of shrimp go up with demand, and they are wondering how to restore the reputation of louisiana shrimp to get that price back up to where they need it so they can make a living again.

so even though the well is killed, even though the oil has not flowed, there are still lots of questions and lots of problems that remain. alex? ann thompson, thank you for the report. meantime, extreme weather is wreaking havoc around the world as tropical storms and tornadoes continue to cause major damage. it has even produced a little snow in the dog days of summer at glacier national park in montana was dusted with snow yesterday. keep in mind, it is september. for more on the wild weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. bill? well, good morning, alex. while all eyes are on the tropics and what's happening with igor and bermuda this weekend. back in the lower 48, things are relatively strong. a cold front is coming down from canada sparking thunderstorms through the great lakes and some of the areas like iowa and northern portions of illinois. down along the texas coast we are getting some wet weather in the pacific northwest as well

with the low pressure system and a new storm system lingering there on the pacific northwest coast. another story, it has been hot in dallas this week. and the heat will continue this weekend. this is the last official summer weekend. it will certainly feel like it in florida and through the southeast. let's take a look at the forecast for your saturday. nice and cool in boston with highs in the 60s. a beautiful day from pittsburgh, baltimore, philly and washington, d.c. not bad in new york. partly cloudy and 74. as far as the rest of the country goes, chicago, you'll be damp during the day today and wet weather in san antonio. phoenix, 108 degrees. it has been 106 all week long. into sunday it will be hot in the desert southwest. you notice we are warming um up from d.c. to new york with temperatures in the low 80s. overall, no severe weather is expected this weekend. nothing like what we saw earlier this week in new york city. that was a treat, wasn't it, alex? back to you. it was, indeed. now to afghanistan where 2500 candidates are vying for 249

parliamentary seats in today's election, but it is not without the threat of a taliban attack. and so far there are deaths to report. john yang is in kabul with the latest for us. john, good day to you. there have been conflicting numbers as to how many people are dead. what do you know? >> reporter: well, the government officials are trying to down play this. they are not talking officially about the death of the taliban attacks. one report the associated press says at least two, another report sayses at least ten. these are scattered reports in areas with the taliban has been traditionally strong in the south, for instance, near kandahar and to the north as well. overall, voter turnout across the country seems to be relatively light. we don't have a long line of voters that marked the previous elections here. certainly last year's presidential election. it is uncertain, it is unclear

whether the taliban threats and warnings urging people not to vote, threatening the violence is keeping the turnout down or also whether it is lack of confidence in the system. as i said, last year nearly a million ballots were thrown out because of voting irregularities in the presidential election. and there was a random survey of voters who said they will not vote because they thought it would be a waste of time. they think president karzai already picked the winners and those are the people getting into parliament that will back his policies. voter -- i'm sorry, observers we talked to say what they see so far appears to be suggesting that things are going well. by the way, the polls did just close a few minutes ago here in afghanistan. but results are going to take a

while. this is not like america where we are going to get results within hours. it is going to take several days to find out preliminary results, and final results aren't expected until the end of october. as you say, alex, the ratio of 2500 candidates for 249 seats, they are expecting a lot of complaints because after all there are about ten losers for every winner. and they are all looking for reasons and excuses to complain about the results. >> that's an interesting situation. thank you for bringing it to us live from kabul, john kang. sympathy is replaced by shock and confusion as investigators are trying to figure out why a washington woman burned her face with acid. bethany's parents are apologizing for the stunt that she admitted to, but they are baffled about their daughter's decision to hurt herself. >> as any good parent would, we stood by our daughter when she told us the different scenarios.

we stood by her, we believed her, any good parent would do that. >> there are no signs, and we really don't know why at this point, but it is our hope that the medical community can find the answers. >> storro's father will return all the money donated to his daughter. fresh off her stint in jail and rehab, troubled ablg actress lindsay lohan is looking at a possible return to prison. i tell you, good morning to you, dawn. lindsay lohan just finishes rehab three weeks ago, what is going on? >> well, yesterday multiple reports surfaced that lindsay lohan failed one drug test and maybe even multiple drug tests. now, originally it seemed she was denied the allegations said she was fine and the outlooks reporting were not accurate. but then late yesterday she took to her twitter account, admitted responsibility, admitted she did

fail the drug tests and that sobriety is not easy when you have a substance abuse program. and she is hoping for the change. she is taking responsibility. of course, that's a really good sign. but the big problem, of course, is that the judge alvin fox originally said if she violated the terms of her probation, including failing one of the drug tests, she could go back to jail for 30 days. right now she has to throw herself on the mercy of the court to see what happens. >> at least lindsay is taking responsibility. that will also keep her mother from pointing the fingers at anybody else as she has done in the past. we'll go to the news about paris hilton who has a plea deal following the arrest last month in las vegas for drug charges? >> yes. paris hilton is going to enter a

plea deal from the charges in late august. instead of facing a felony conviction that she was facing, instead she'll serve one year probation, she'll have to complete a drug abuse program. she's going to serve 200 hours of community service. also pay a $2,000 fine. she violates any of these conditions and she could face a year in jail. >> okay. from there now to nadya suleman. aka, the octomom. what's going on with her? >> well, reportedly she's out of money and she needs to apply for welfare. she had book deals and reality tv shows in the works. unfortunately, none panned out. she has 14 mouths to feed and she's behind on her mortgage payments once again. and we are hearing she is going to file for welfare very soon. >> okay. dawn, thank you so much. and with so many people like octomom suffering economic

hardships these days, fashion designers are tailoring their looks to match. we'll show you the design of the times. also, caution in the wind. who is bracing for hurricane igor's fury? we'll take a look here on msnbc saturday. [ gasps ] [ rattling ] [ laughing ] [ announcer ] close enough just isn't good enough. - if your car is in an accident, - [ laughing continues ] make sure it's repaired with the right replacement parts. take the scary out of life with travelers. call or click now for an agent or quote. with pringles cracker stix. ♪ crackers turned into tasty, crunchy sticks! ♪ pringles cracker stix. ♪ so delicious... your mouth will be strangely attracted to them.

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well, there's an intro for you. here's the latest on hurricane igor. the storm is expected to hit bermuda late sunday, but until then it will produce dangerous rip currents up and down the east coast. the weather channel's julie martin is joining us live from daytona beach, florida. it looks overcast there to be sure, but otherwise a nice day. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, alex. we are not expecting any winds or weather per se from hurricane igor here in daytona beach, florida. but the surf and the rip

currents will be the story up and down the east coast all the way up to new york city where you are. i want to take you out to the atlantic ocean to show you very low wave action this morning, but we are expecting the waves to build throughout the day today. and by the end of the day weekend see anywhere from three to six-foot waves here along daytona beach. that's the case again on sunday, but what will really be the issue here is one of the very last weekends of the summer, a very packed beach weekend expected here along daytona beach. keep in mind a lot of the lifeguards have gone back to college, so the beach will be far less guarded than it was before labor day. and unfortunately, it doesn't take a lot for people to get into trouble. in fact, in speaking with head lifeguards here, they tell me that the waves of just two to three feet and the onshore winds like what we'll be experiencing thanks to igor is enough to create the rip current situation. and once someone gets caught up in a rip current that doesn't know how to swim or get out of it, that could be a deadly

situation. here's some perspective. over labor day weekend during hurricane earl, 300 rescues here in three days due to rip currents. now, igor is much more powerful of a hurricane, a larger hurricane, but it is a lot farther offshore, 1100 miles. it doesn't matter because the same wave action will make its way here up and down the east coast. again, alex, the rip current threat will be the case over the next several days really as igor just keeps churning out there in the atlantic. >> it is a very important heads-up for anyone who wants to get in the water. julie martin, thank you so much. we'll get to the fate of her due bermuda next time. sarah palin is laughing off a bid for the gop presidential election. she says the only run she's focused on has nothing to do with politics. >> todd says, i don't know, i think you should go downstairs and run on the treadmill. i said, why would i want to stay

indoors? todd says, if anyone spots you in the tennis shoes, the headline will be "vanity fair" they will say palin in iowa decides to run. >> we have the co-author of the book "sarah from alaska." hello to you. it is still early, but your best guess and what you know behind the scenes, do you think sarah palin is considering a 2012 run? >> i do, alex. all signs point to that, last night was one of them when she was in iowa. she was talking to the big gop big whigs in iowa, but she positioned herself as the leader of the tea party movement. she criticized the democrats and the gop movement. she said they are in charge now. they are the ones racking up the wins. and she is the one racking up

the wins. you saw a stunning win by christine o'donnell. he was her endorsement that helped her cross the finish line. >> look at her track record now. palin said she can make a big difference without any kind of a title. let say she decides not to unare. here we are speculating about this until it is decided one way or another, but will her profile be diminished if she doesn't go for it? >> that's interesting. i think so many people think now she's going to run that it would be a huge surprise if she doesn't. but yeah, you're right, there are reasons for her not to run. the biggest being that she is making a lot of money right now. i mean, when she does paid speeches, she gets a huge payout from her book sales, and she also has a contributorship with fox news. that would be curbed if she ran for president. that would be a reason not to run, but at this point all signs point to her to run and she's

considering it very seriously. >> >> if you are a republican candidate right now, do you want sarah palin on your side whether or not sarah palin on your team weather or not you are leaning to the tea party or more moderate? do you want sarah palin on your team no matter what? >> i think she could win the republican nomination. she has huge fan bases in iowa, south carolina that would really help her. once she got the republican nomination, it would be more difficult. even just running for the nomination, her resigning the governorship of alaska. you can see a mitt romney ad saying that. that's a huge hill for her to overcome. you saw, there's a poll yesterday that the majority of the country is not comfortable with her and does not see her as somebody they could call her leader.

when it comes to the general electorate, it would be difficult for her to beat president obama. >> give me insight into her. do you think she is willing to give it a shot and lose? i'm asking, her legacy. how important is that to her and how would she take a loss like that? >> i don't think she would do it if she didn't think she could win. i think, sarah palin, her personality, she really, she kind of communicates and goes for things she sees in front of her. every day, whether in iowa yesterday, she's going to be on dancing with the stars on monday with bristol. every day, people are saying sarah, please run. that goes into her decision making process. more the polls, the pun dents. she wouldn't make the decision if she didn't think she could

win. sarah palin is different than any politician. she lost the vice president bid. she's more powerful now. nobody knew who she was before. she would suffer a loss in a different way. mitt romney lost a primary and he's positioning himself to run, again. she could still be powerful and have a life after a loss. seasoni >> good to talk to you. now, to lovely ladies that proved you are never too old to be a calendar girl. they range in 63 to 97. the proceeds are going to charity. you go girls.

an apologetic pope benedict

is using the four-day state visit to reshape the image of the catholic church abroad. is it working? george is the author of the book, the end and the beginning pope john paul ii. good morning, george. >> morning alex. >> what do you think the main purpose of this trip is to eveni eveni england, great britain? >> to remind a secular british society there's a place for serious christian conviction in thinking through the britain of the 21st century. he's also trying to put together energy and spine, if you will, into the catholic church in england, whales and scotland. he's making a moving and win appeal to young people to live their lives in order to be saints. the high point of all this will

come tomorrow when benedict xvi beat fis one of the great english people out of birmingham. >> how about the dissatisfaction on how he's handled the crisis? what does he need to do to turn that perception around? >> he needs a break from the media. this pope has done more than anyone at the highest levels of the church for the past six years to get the church to come to grips of the problems of the past. he was vigorous in his attempts to do a serious job of rooting out these problems when he was a senior aid to pope john paul ii. i think it's time to change the story line on this, really. to acknowledge he's worked vigorously to address the

corruptions of the priest and as he said on the plane, going to scotland, bishops who failed to act aggressively in addressing the problems. >> thanks so much. a lot more to come from you. thanks. >> thank you. it's a long bittersweet journey for sarah shroud. a nose for news. measure of the entries for the gin isz book of world records. s. my eyes water. but now zyrtec®, the fastest 24-hour allergy relief, comes in a liquid gel. zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®.

stay twice... earn a free night! two separate stays at comfort inn or any of these choice hotels can earn you a free night -- only when you book at choicehotels.com. can earn you a free night -- you hear what they're up to now? some in congress are getting squeezed by the special interests again. trying to delay action and give polluters free reign to keep dumping toxic pollution into the air. the air our children breathe. letting big oil lobbyists get their way again, and again, and again. it's a last-minute bill, written by special interests, looking for a payback. washington politicians need to get off the dime, and not let corporate polluters off the hook.